News Archive April 2020

Suffolk Mind, Home Start in Suffolk, Survivors in Transition and 4YP have come together to create a campaign video to encourage fundraising to stay in Suffolk. Figures from Suffolk Community Foundation show an estimated 78% of funds raised in Suffolk leave the county to support large national and international charities, with very little of it coming back[1]. 

Click here to view the video.

A light-hearted video with the support of Home-Start in Suffolk Patron Anthony Horowitz OBE, has been created to highlight how each of the four local charities are supporting the community of Suffolk during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have all adapted services to ensure those who need it are continuing to receive vital support, while also creating new services to meet changing demand.

The four charities work with some of the most vulnerable people in the county: Suffolk Mind is an independent mental health charity offering support services to help the mental wellbeing of adults, families and children; Home Start in Suffolk offers vital support to struggling families; Survivors in Transition supports those in who have experienced any form of sexual abuse in their childhood; and 4YP improves the social, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing of young people in Suffolk.

Lizzy Tuthill, Community Fundraising Coordinator at Suffolk Mind said: “We are so pleased to have this opportunity to work with other local charities to raise awareness and inform our community about what we all do and how we can come together to help support people in Suffolk. At Suffolk Mind, we are adapting and developing new services for those in our county, including our fantastic frontline NHS staff who now have access to counselling and online support from our expert team. Donations and support are especially important right now to help us maintain and keep developing these services in response to the changing needs of our community. Taking on a home fundraising challenge or making an online donation will help us support Suffolk people, through this challenging period and beyond.”

Alison Watson, Marketing and Fundraising Manager at Home Start in Suffolk said “We are so pleased to have been part of this collaboration and to show the Suffolk community how our charities are working together to support our local community.  At Home-Start in Suffolk we are continuing to support vulnerable families across the county with regular telephone and video calls from our amazing team of volunteers.  Whilst physical distancing is important at this time, emotional support is vital and staying connected is hugely important for our supported families’ emotional well-being. During this uncertain time our organisations need the support of Suffolk people more than ever and any donations will help us to continue to support our Suffolk Community now and in the future.”

Georgia Memory, Business and Marketing Coordinator at 4YP said: “Collaborating with three other fantastic local charities has been great to raise awareness and inform Suffolk that we are still here to listen, support and help where it is needed. 4YP are adapting and developing as many services as possible to ensure vulnerable young people in Suffolk are not forgotten about, which is why we appreciate the community of Suffolk donating to ensure Suffolk people get the support they need.”

Fiona Ellis, Co-Founder & CEO at Survivors in Transition said: “SiT are so pleased to be joining these other amazing Suffolk charities in both reassuring the public that we’re still here, still open and still supporting our respective service users and also to encourage Suffolk residents to think local when donating to a charity. We’ve got you – but we need you to support us too and you can do this by donating to one of our amazing charities #supportussuffolk”

Author: Kristina Brinkley
Posted on: 27th April 2020

A new mental health service has been launched, offering telephone support to all NHS and care staff in Suffolk and North East Essex during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Suffolk and North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Groups together with independent mental health charities Suffolk Mind and Mid and North East Essex Mind, have come together to open this dedicated telephone support service. The teams will offer help and practical solutions during this challenging period. Counselling will also be offered to those who need extra support through Suffolk or Mid and North East Essex Minds depending on their location.

Staff will be able to access the service whether they are based in a hospital, GP surgery or in the community setting, as well as those who work in care, voluntary sector organisations and Hospices within Suffolk and North East Essex.

Suffolk Mind have also been commissioned to provide online support to NHS and care staff during the pandemic. Qualified emotional needs trainers will be hosting interactive group sessions using the Emotional Needs and Resources model. ‘Meeting Emotional Needs in Practice’ and ‘Keeping Calm (Mindful Breathing)’ sessions will support people to enable them to maintain their own emotional health by reducing stress.

Jon Neal, Chief Executive of Suffolk Mind said: “We’re proud and honoured to be in a position to support NHS workers in our area – whether frontline or those, like many of us, getting to grips with a new way of working.

“Whatever role people are playing in the health system, they are crucial to tackling the pandemic, keeping people safe, and ensuring we provide the best care possible to those who need it.

“At Suffolk Mind we will do all we can to enable people to be aware of their emotional needs and how to get them met in order to avoid stress.”

Lisa Llewelyn, Director of Workforce for the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System said ‘We know our health and care staff are providing tremendous support, not just to the patients they’re treating, but to each other, across the health service. As the pandemic continues, our workforce will face new and growing challenges on a daily basis, and it’s therefore more important than ever that all our NHS and Care staff are able to access the support service we have developed with our partners Mind, to help them manage their wellbeing, in a way that suits their needs.

Author: Kristina Brinkley
Posted on: 21st April 2020

The independent mental health charity, Suffolk Mind have released a number of resources offering help and advice to parents, carers and children to encourage mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff in the EARLY (Emotional Awareness and Resilience Learnt Young) Minds team have created videos, blogs and activities to help children to stay well by meeting their emotional needs whilst at home.

Due to school closures, the Suffolk Mind EARLY Minds programme is currently unable to run. This programme is for primary schools and teaches children, teachers and parents about emotional needs and how to improve wellbeing. Our team wants to continue offering this help through a number of resources on our website.

The Children and Young People’s Facilitator at Suffolk Mind, Louise Harris said: “As a former primary school teacher and mum myself, I understand the pressures that parents are currently feeling whilst trying to manage finances, run a home, work and be a teacher for your children. That is why at Suffolk Mind, we thought it was important to create useful resources to help the whole family to stay mentally well by meeting emotional needs. This keeps stress levels low and allows our immune system to fight back and work to promote recovery from illness.

“In my blog, I have suggested a number of ways you can do this: allow time and space for each other so you can each have your privacy; with your child’s help, create a day-to-day structure for them so they have a sense of control and security; take regular breaks from work to give your child attention throughout the day and take part in an activity of their choice; set up video calls with family members and friends to help your children feel part of a community.”

You can access this blog and further resources here.

Author: Kristina Brinkley
Posted on: 21st April 2020

Our Suffolk Mind gardening expert is encouraging people to get out in the garden or grow produce in their own homes to help their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sarah Manton-Roseblade is the manager of the GreenCare service which is made up of four allotments across Suffolk (Hadleigh, Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich). Each site offers people the opportunity to learn about gardening and contribute to the creation of a thriving growing space that benefits everyone.

This service is currently unable to run, so we are encouraging people to get growing at home instead.

Sarah said: “Being out in the garden or growing things in your own home is a great way to meet your physical and emotional needs. It enables you to achieve something new, gives you some meaning and purpose and gently increases your activity levels too.”

Here are some handy ideas and tips to help you:

• It is sunflower season – from May you can plant Sunflower seeds directly in the ground where you want them to grow. If you don’t have a garden, from mid-April seeds can be planted in a pot and left by the windowsill. Keep them watered and as they start to grow make sure you use a stick to support them.
• Grow your own veg – it’s a great time to start growing your own vegetables. Easy vegetables to grow are things like lettuce, carrots, sugar snap peas and dwarf French beans as they don’t take up too much space in the garden. You can also grow salad leaves and pea shoots in a pot on your windowsill.
• Herbs grow well on the windowsill – things like coriander and basil (when it’s a little warmer) are great herbs to start with.
• Here are some helpful websites’ to help you grow your own produce: www.gardenorganic.org.uk and www.rhs.org.uk.

Suffolk Mind have also put together a number of resources to help people with their mental health whilst at home. Click here for more details.

Author: Kristina Brinkley
Posted on: 7th April 2020